I LOVE good pastrami. Hard to find in Utah or now AZ. A few years back I took a brisket flat and cut it into 3 pieces and made brisket, corned beef and pastrami. It went well, but I did a lousy job of packaging and freezing the leftover pastrami and ended up with freezer burn. Recently, when I've made brisket, I bought full packers and separated the points from the flats. I cooked the flats and saved the points. I like my pastrami fatty, e.g. flavorful. Today I started my own pastrami. I've got the point brining for 5 days, which will turn it into corned beef. If Mrs. in UT wants some corned beef, I'll cut a piece off for her. The rest will get some pastrami rub and go on the smoker for, hopefully, pastrami perfection. Maybe I'll try making my own rye bread for sandwiches. I've got rye flour, have to check if I have carraway seeds.
love pastrami too
don't make 'em myself, though
If your cardiologist thinks that saturated fat is a problem, maybe you should find a new cardiologist, or just lie to him about the pastrami. And I'm only half kidding. My recipe is supposedly based on Katz'
Rob, do you do the bacon from slab pork belly? Smoker?
I'll check out some more recipes. The one I have, from Emeril, doesn't need a starter, but I don't think he's NYC Jewish :)
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And pastrami. Its a simple process and im shocked more people dont do it. Same with bacon. I havent bought store bacon in 10 years.
Rob, do you do the bacon from slab pork belly? Smoker?
Yes, Bill. I get the bellies from Costco. Used to be 1.99 a lb, now 4.69, which sucks. Still better than 8.99 or more a lb for store bought bacon. I usually get 10lb slab, cut in half, and cure in 2 gallon ziplocks. After a 7-8 day dry cure I cold smoke for about 6-8 hours.
Montana i will post a couple recipes tomorrow. I have played with several different "flavors".
Really, you don't keep mustard at work? :)
I'll leave the bacon to Rob, but here's the recipe I'm using. Sorry it's so long. And I left out a few ingredients for the pickling that I don't have.
Brisket to Corned Beef to Pastrami
About 4 pounds of beef brisket
1 gallon distilled water
8 ounces Morton's kosher salt, by weight (about 7/8 cup)
2 teaspoons Prague Powder #1Placeholder
Optional ingredients
1 cup brown sugar, preferably dark
5 tablespoons pickling spices
4 cloves garlic, smashed or pressed
About the beef. Many delis use the fattier navel cut. You can also use boneless short rib meat, flank steak, tongue, or round, but round can be very thick, so cut in into 1.5" planks. For that matter you can use any cut you want, but brisket is my fave.
About the pickling spices. You can buy them premixed or click here for a recipe for pickling spices that you can make yourself.
Pickling Spices
Required Ingredients
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
3 inches cinnamon sticks, total length
2 tablespoon dill seeds
1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon mustard seeds, any color
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon celery seeds
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons whole allspice berries
1 teaspoon whole cloves
Optional Ingredients
1 tablespoon mace powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 tablespoon juniper berries, smashed
2 star anise pods, smashed
Pastrami
4 pounds of good corned beef, preferably home made (click for recipe)
3 tablespoons pastrami rub
Rub
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons fresh coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
Directions
) Find a proper container large enough to handle 1 gallon of brine and the meat as described in my article Science Of Curing Meats. Clean it as described.
2) Mix the cure ingredients and the distilled water. Stir until they dissolve.
3) Take the meat and remove as much fat as possible from the exterior unless you plan to use some of it for pastrami. In that case, leave a 1/8" layer on one side. Because corned beef is cooked in simmering water, the fat just gets gummy and unappetizing. But if you plan to then make pastrami from it, you will be smoking the meat and in that case the fat gets succulent and lubricates the sandwich. I like to buy a full packer brisket and separate the point from the flat, and cut the flat in half when making corned beef or pastrami. That gives me 3 manageable hunks of 2 to 4 pounds each. If you leave the point attached to the flat beneath, it will be very thick and take longer to cure, and there's an ugly hunk of fat between them.
4) Add the meat to the curing solution. It might float, so put a plastic bowl filled with brine on top of the meat until it submerges. The meat will drink up brine so make sure there is enough to cover it by at least 1" or else you'll find the meat high and dry after a few days. Refrigerate. Let it swim for 5 days, up to 7, especially if the meat is more than 2" thick. Move the meat every day or so just to stir up the cure. When you are done, the exterior of the meat will be pale tan or gray and if you cut into it, it should not look too different than normal raw meat, just a little pinker.
Pickling Spices
Put the cinnamon sticks and peppercorns in a plastic bag and smash them with a meat tenderizer or a hammer. Crumble the bay leaves into flakes about 1/8" size. Mix all the ingredients together and store in a tight jar.
Pastrami Rub
1) If you wish, you can use only powdered coriander, ground black pepper, and ground mustard, but I like using some whole seeds. If you are using some whole seeds, pour them into a zipper bag and smash them with the bottom of a sauce pan so they are "cracked" but not completely powdered.
2) Blend together all the spices. Rinse the meat, and while it is damp, apply the rub liberally, about 4 tablespoons per square foot of surface, and press it into the surface to help it adhere. If there is a thin part of meat, use less rub.
Pastrami
1) Prep the corned beef. If possible, make your own corned beef. It is just plain better than storebought. For pastrami, the flat section of the brisket is favored by many because it makes nice even slices for sandwiches, but I prefer the point section of the brisket because it is fattier, richer, and more tender. It can also be made from flank steak, or leaner cuts, or even from boneless short plate (rib meat). If you are using brisket, one side of the meat will probably have a thick layer of fat on it called the cap. Remove all of the fat cap except about 1/8" and if there is any filmy membrane on the other side, remove it all. That thin layer of fat is important. The process takes about a week.
2) Desalinate. Put the corned beef in a pot slightly larger than the meat and cover it with cold water in the fridge for at least 8 hours. This removes excess salt. Trust me, you need to do this or you will be gulping water all night after your meal.
3) Rub. Make the rub. Rinse the meat, and while it is damp, apply the rub liberally, about 4 tablespoons per square foot of surface, and press it into the surface to help it adhere. If there is a thin part of meat, use less rub. Put in the fridge for a minimum of 2 days. Don't wrap it. The rub just sticks to the plastic wrap. Normally I say you do not need to let meats marinate in a rub, but the wait seems to help this particular rub adhere.
4) Fire up. Set up your grill in 2 zones for smoking or set up your smoker. If you can, use a charcoal smoker. It produces a deeper darker crust than any other cooker. Preheat to 225°F. Pick your wood. I don't think it makes a huge difference with all the other flavors banging around in there. My best batch was with cherry wood.
5) Cook. Place the meat on the smoker or on the indirect heat side of the grill. If you plan to steam it before serving for maximum tenderness, you only need to smoke it with indirect heat until it reaches the stall at about 150°F. You can wrap in foil and refrigerate for a week if you wish or proceed to the steaming step. The downside is that steam softens the crust. You can skip the steaming and smoke it up to 203°F and have a nice firm smoky bark, but the meat will not be quite as tender. But it will be tender. And delicious. Your call. Try it both ways and pick the method that suits you best.
steaming pastrami
6) Steam (optional). If you want to steam it for maximum tenderness, if you have a bamboo or metal steamer in which the meat will fit, you can use that. If not, you can make a steamer by putting a wire rack in a baking pan. If necessary you can sit the rack on wads of foil to keep it out of the water. Unwrap the meat and put it on the foil in which it was wrapped or the steam will wash off much of the rub. Do not slice the meat first.
7) If you made a steamer with a baking pan, cover it with foil. If the pan is steel don't let the foil touch the meat. The salt, the water, the steel, and the aluminum can interact and create electrical charges that can melt the foil! This is a phenomenon called the "lasagna cell" because it happens to lasagna often.
8) Put the pan on a burner, turn the heat to medium low, and steam it an hour or two until heated through to 203°F. Add hot water as needed, making sure the pan never dries out. Don't rush this. Take it all the way to 203°F. Note that the crust tends to get soft when you steam. No doubt about it, a hard crust is more appealing. So you can firm the crust by putting it on a hot grill or in the oven or under the broiler for a few minutes. The best crust comes from smoking up to 203°F and skipping the steam. The big puzzlement is how does Katz's retain the hard crust even though they boil the meat just before serving. Dr. Blonder speculates that they pack the meat in so tight that the crust remains hard. I'm skeptical.
9) Slicing. Slicing is crucial to maximize tenderness. Look at the meat and notice which way the grain is running. Cut it by hand in thin slices, about 1/8" thick, perpendicular to the grain. If you cut parallel to the grain it will be much chewier. Don't try to slice it with a machine. It will just fall apart.
A nice hint to drop to the wife for all of you...
Add a tablespoon of the pickling spices to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a very low simmer (barely bubbling), and cook 3-4 hours, until the corned beef is fork tender. (At this point you can store in the fridge for up to a week.)
OR:
When ready to cook, set the smoker to 275℉ and preheat, lid closed for 15 minutes.
Put the brined brisket directly on the grill grate, fat side up, and cook for 2 hours.
Wrap the meat in foil
Return the brisket to the grill and continue to cook for 2 to 3 hours, or until the brisket is tender. The internal temperature should be 185℉ on an instant-read meat thermometer.
Allow the meat to rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Slice across the grain into 1/4-inch slices with a sharp knife and serve immediately. Enjoy!
*Cook times will vary depending on set and ambient temperatures.
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from a popular local deli. Haven't had it in forever, so I ordered a hot pastrami and Swiss on rye with mustard. Would have been perfect, but they forgot the mustard! Ruined my whole afternoon
Really, you don't keep mustard at work? :)
It's the best on the East Coast and I would say the USA but I haven't tried Langer's yet, in LA, which is supposed to be at least as good as Katz's. So many people love it that I have to try for myself before I give the crown to Katz's but I will say I tried other esteemed delis in LA, such as Canter's, and frankly I thought it was bad.
Chompie's - ( New Window )
2nd Ave Deli is still fantastic and I understand people who like it better. It's sliced by machine instead of hand chopped. It's a tasty sandwich. Not nearly as decadent as Katz's, but I think Katz's is sometimes too overwhelming for some folks.
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In comment 15837087 drg613 said:
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from a popular local deli. Haven't had it in forever, so I ordered a hot pastrami and Swiss on rye with mustard. Would have been perfect, but they forgot the mustard! Ruined my whole afternoon
Really, you don't keep mustard at work? :)
Just yellow. And that's just wrong
Make it deli horseradish mustard
But had it there once, it was ok. Not worth an hour drive each way
It's been way, way too long...